Erica Markle, #1

If I If I were asked to describe this reading to a friend I would tell them that it is very helpful if they want to better express their ideas through creativity. I would tell them that it really channeled into the essentials of being a creative person. It was a reliable source and insightful as it keyed into details of creativity that I had never recognized prior to reading this. In a way it is also an inspiring reading, for it pushes the reader to look within his or herself to bring out their creative side using the methods described. The reading covered a lot of material pertaining to creativity and its core concepts. The thing that stuck out most was how contradicting creativity can be. For example the author states that the person must take risks but be safe at the same time, be modest but prideful, and numerous other contradictions that one must take note of in the creative process. The reading also went into a lot of detail about goal setting, and how the individual must set realistic goals based solely on their own capabilities and talents. Time management, working together, making a sequence for your work, and using momentum are all other subjects to enhance creativity that were touched upon by the reading. The author pushes the reader to be realistic about projects, use materials wisely, always question, and work with others to enhance the product. Projects wont always come as second-nature, for most people it is a struggle, but if you invest time, effort, and really think the job will get done with ease. I was personally not surprised by a lot of the elements listed, but I had never actually thought about it as such a complex system. I thought it covered everything that anyone would ever need or want to know about creativity and grasped the readers attention as well. It was well organized and written so that it was easy to follow, and I believe it will trigger a lot of creativity within the reader.

2.) Reading this relates to me in that I was able to actually focus in on these methods and now I can use them to my advantage in this class. I work very slowly, especially when it comes to artwork, and that can be attributed to the fact that I am somewhat of a perfectionist. However, in reading I learned ways to avoid this problem, if I set up a sequence and use the tips the author talked about time management I can effectively finish projects on time. A lot of time I also find myself doubting my projects, but from reading this I know that if I look at the big picture, everything will come together into a piece that’s creative in my own way. When I thought of creativity I thought that it was something discovered and found within oneself I never actually took the advice that you can learn just as much or more by working with others. I will bring this technique into play as I do projects in class surrounding by a room of creative thinkers. Keeping an open mind and questioning everything will lead to success in this class, which is highly based on creativity. I think it will also help in my future career because I will keep the elements of creativity always in the back of my mind and refer back to them when I am struggling to complete a binding project. I believe that putting this advice to use could put me at an advantage in the workforce as compared to someone who is rigid and straightforward.